Gardeners often look to add a range of colors to their flowerbeds, finding ample options for warmer hues. When choosing flowers with cool colors, blue marguerites offer an excellent combination of blue and yellow.

Blue marguerites, or Felicia amelloides, include flowers with blue rays and yellow disks. The Missouri Botanical Garden describes them as herbaceous perennials and woody subshrubs that can grow up to two feet tall. The flowers are about 1.5 inches across when mature and have a daisy-like appearance, lending them their alternate name of blue daisies.

The plant is native to South Africa, and is hardy enough to grow in less fertile sites along the coast. According to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew in England, blue marguerites are found growing in sunny areas on rocky hillsides, dunes, sandy flats, and cliffs.

These natural habitats mean blue marguerites aren't too picky about their soil. Barbara Ellis, author of the 1999 book "Taylor's Guide to Annuals," says the flowers can grow in poor or modestly fertile soil. However, the soil should still drain well to avoid overly wet conditions.

Blue marguerites also won't grow as well if atmospheric conditions are too wet. They struggle in both hot, humid weather and in cold, damp weather. The Missouri Botanical Garden says the plant can be grown as a perennial in drier areas, but is best grown as an annual in the cooler, wetter climates of the northern states.

The Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew says that blue marguerites can be grown from either seeds or cuttings. You can pretreat seeds before the growing season to see if it helps with their growth. Ellis says you might sow the seeds and refrigerate their pots for three weeks before moving them to a warmer area.

Starting seeds indoors can also give you a head start on the growing season. Seeds can be sown six to eight weeks before the last frost date and then transplanted outdoors. However, seeds can also be sown directly outdoors after the danger of frost has passed.

Blue marguerites have moderate water needs, but you should water them regularly during dry periods. You can also pinch the seedlings once or twice to encourage the plant to branch out.

The flowers do particularly well if the summer heat is not too oppressive. The Missouri Botanical Garden says the bloom may last throughout the summer and into the autumn, although flowering will stop if there are consistent high temperatures in mid-summer.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden says removing faded flowers will help strengthen the plant's flowering, and an application of fertilizer every other week can also be helpful. If flowering stops in the summer, you can cut back the plant and try to get a second bloom during the cooler temperatures of late summer and autumn.

If you want to try growing blue marguerites as perennials, you should take cuttings in the late summer. These can be tended as houseplants, allowing you to overwinter the plant until it can be transplanted back into the garden in the spring.

Blue marguerites are largely free of pest and disease problems. Aphids and spider mites can harm the plant, and root disease can develop if the soil is too damp. The plant can also be affected by noble rot.

The flowers work well in rock gardens and for creating borders. They also look good on their own as container plants.